Rural Missouri - February 2021 - 4

R M | C O O P E R AT I O N

PLEASE MOVE
OVER FOR
ROADSIDE
CREWS
If you see police,
firefighters, utility crews
or other emergency
personnel on the side
of the road, please slow
down and move over
when possible.
Together, we can
keep our crews safe.

t's hard work repairing and maintaining the
lines that bring you power. It can also be dangerous, especially when linework takes place
alongside busy roads. Every year, workers
along the sides of roads are injured or killed when
a car crashes into the crew's site, even though
it's marked with bright cones and warning signs.
There's an easy way to reduce those incidents that
harm police officers, first responders, road construction workers and utility crews. There's a slogan to help remind drivers. There's even a law.
The slogan is " Move Over or Slow Down. " It's
good advice and a decent thing to do to keep people
safe. It's also a requirement in all 50 states. Legislatures first started passing Move Over laws about
25 years ago to reduce the statistics of harm to
roadside emergency workers. In the past five years,
states have started to specifically add electric and
other utility projects to their Move Over or Slow
Down laws.
Missouri added utility vehicles to its law in
2017. It's an addition that's welcomed by your local
electric cooperative because they were part of the
effort to expand the law to help protect line crews.
Protecting line crews is a top priority for Missouri's electric cooperatives, and it's a safety measure
everyone can help with, says Caleb Jones, CEO of
the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives.
" Move Over is not only a good law, it's also the
courteous thing to do. Our crews already perform

RURAL MISSOURI | FEBRUARY 2021

dangerous work to keep the lights on. They deserve
a work environment that's as safe as possible. "
Missouri's " Move Over " law requires motorists to
do the following:
* Slow down and move over if traveling on a
four-lane road.
* If a lane change is not possible, motorists
must proceed with caution and slow down as they
drive through the work zone, maintaining a safe
speed for traffic conditions.
Electric utility crews are special cases to watch
out for. A study of utility work site accidents
found the relatively temporary nature of power
line repairs could surprise motorists. Roadside
construction might close a lane for days or weeks,
giving time for people familiar with the area to
anticipate the changed traffic pattern. Utility work,
however, can start and finish in a few hours, possibly raising risks with drivers who might think they
know the road ahead.
Another risk to watch for is when work sites are
being put up or taken down. Roadside accidents
can happen as crews are setting up signs and traffic cones.
Don't drive distracted. Put your phone down
while driving. Drive according to road conditions.
Be courteous to work crews and stopped first
responders. Watch the signs and obey them. And
certainly, follow Missouri's Move Over Law.
It's good advice that could save a life.

Rural Missouri - February 2021

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